Ami's Zarda

Nice yellow fluffy rice with almonds, sugar and raisins. This is my mom's famous recipe. It's different from the traditional Zarda with lots of oil and sugar. Saving it here for my coming generations.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 6-7

Ingredients

• 1  cup rice
• 4  cups water
• 1⁄2 cup  almonds
• 1⁄2 cup raisins
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  of yellow powdered  food coloring
• 8  cardamoms
• 1  cup sugar
• 6 -7  tablespoons  oil

Directions

1. Take a coffee mug fill it with water and add almonds to it and then put it in the microwave for 2 min , this will make it easier for you to take the skin off , cut them length wise across. Keep aside.
2. Take another coffee mug, fill it with water and add raisins to it and place it in microwave for 1 minute Drain the water and keep aside.
3. For rice: Put 4 cups of water in a sauce pan, add 3 cardamoms (break them with the back of the knife to release the pods/seeds –Note, we want the whole thing in not just the pods) and food color, bring to boil, add the rice in.Keep the heat on high.
4. When rice is half way cooked turn the heat off and drain the water. Keep the rice aside. (In order to know if the rice is half cooked, with a spoon take three grains of rice and you will notice three lines in the middle of the grain; this means that the rice is half cooked.
5. In a separate sauce pan , heat the oil, break 5 cardamoms add them in, cook for few seconds, add little less than ½ cup of water (CAUTION: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A LID NEAR BY BEFORE ADDING WATER) Cover the sauce pan with lid as soon as you add water. Then add sugar and stir around till it’s well dissolved, add raisins and rice and almonds inches Mix the rice so that it’s covered with the sugar syrup and the raisins and almonds are evenly distributed.
6. Keep the heat medium for 5 min or till all the liquid in the rice is gone. Add 2 teaspoon of oil on the top of rice for a little gloss. Now, cover the top of sauce pan with a foil paper and put the lid on, place the pan on a tawa (the one you make Indian pita bread on ) and cook it on a lower heat for 5 minute Reduce the heat further to the lowest for another 6-7min. AND you are DONE!
7. This can be served hot or at room temperature. Some people like it with some Crème fraîche -- but I like to eat it as it is with some apple and cinnamon green tea. Yummy!